Landmarks Illinois Awards First Charles Leeks Grants
The new fund supports historic preservation projects on Chicago's West Side, with two $10,000 grants going to Austin and North Lawndale sites.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Landmarks Illinois has awarded its first grants through the Charles Leeks Grant Fund for Chicago's West Side. Austin Coming Together and Lawndale Christian Health Center each received a $10,000 grant for preservation work.
Why it matters
The fund honors the legacy of Charles Leeks, a community development advocate who believed historic preservation could advance social justice and neighborhood-led reinvestment. It offers Chicago West Side property owners and nonprofits a path to fund preservation of local landmarks.
Each of the two first-round recipients received $10,000, within a program offering $500 to $10,000 on a 3:1 matching basis. The extraction does not report total applications received or remaining funds.
The players
Landmarks Illinois
Landmarks Illinois is a statewide nonprofit that advocates for the preservation of historic buildings and places across Illinois.
Austin Coming Together
Austin Coming Together is a community organization in Chicago's Austin neighborhood working on local development and preservation efforts.
Lawndale Christian Health Center
Lawndale Christian Health Center is a community health provider based in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood.
Charles Leeks
Charles Leeks was a community development advocate who came to Chicago's West Side in 1999 and is honored by the grant fund that bears his name.
The details
Austin Coming Together received a $10,000 grant to support preservation of the J.J. Walser House, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home listed on Landmarks Illinois' 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois list. Lawndale Christian Health Center received a matching $10,000 grant for the Castle Car Wash in North Lawndale, originally built in 1925 as a gas station.
Timeline
1925: Castle Car Wash originally constructed as a gas station.
1999: Charles Leeks arrives on the West Side as director of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago's North Lawndale Program.
2025: J.J. Walser House is listed on Landmarks Illinois' Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois.
January 1 and July 1: Grant application deadlines twice yearly.
Philanthropy Context
The fund extends the neighborhood-led reinvestment approach Charles Leeks pursued through Neighborhood Housing Services in North Lawndale starting in 1999. It applies that model to historic buildings on Chicago's West Side through a matching-grant structure.
Property owners and nonprofits with eligible West Side buildings can apply for grants of $500 to $10,000 on a 3:1 matching basis. Applications are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines on January 1 and July 1.
The takeaway
Eligible West Side property owners and nonprofits can use matching grants to fund preservation of historic buildings in their own neighborhoods. Applications are accepted before the January 1 and July 1 deadlines each year.
What happens next
Nonprofit and for-profit entities are encouraged to apply before the January 1 deadline for the next grant cycle.
Further reading
For related coverage, see more Philanthropy stories from across Chicago.
More information
Review the program details and apply through the Charles Leeks Grant Fund application page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
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